Emergency Situation! The Inside Story of Rosewood Regulations and New Halcandra

Entering 2017, rosewood became subject to restrictions on international trade under the Washington Convention. It has even been rumored that it may no longer be usable as a material for guitars.
Rosewood is widely used for side backs, fingerboards, and bridges in acoustic guitars, and is indispensable to guitars. Did you know that there are actually many different types of rosewood, now that it has become broadly regulated this time!?

There are also already regulated species of rosewood, and even that Martin has moved from vintage to modern times, with a wide variety of rosewoods being used.
This time, together with Martin guitars, which have built the history of acoustic guitars, we will thoroughly break down this highly talked-about rosewood!

What Is Rosewood? Why It Is Used for Guitars

What Is Rosewood?

First, what kind of wood is rosewood? You may know it loosely as the wood used for guitars, but in fact rosewood (Rosewood) is a general term for plants classified in the Dalbergia genus of the legume family.

In Japan, it is also called shitan, and besides musical instruments it is known as a precious wood used for furniture, crafts, and car interiors. Because the cut surface of the wood gives off a rose-like fragrance, it came to be called rosewood.

Why Rosewood Is Chosen as a Guitar Material

Because it excels in stability, durability, and acoustic properties after seasoning, rosewood has long been used for acoustic guitars. Its dark reddish-brown hue and distinctive grain lines, often with black streaks, are exotic and beautiful, and the wood gives off a unique presence that changes expression depending on the piece.

What Is Hakaranda? The Difference from Jacaranda

In Japan, it is often called “Hakaranda,” a Japanese rendering of the Spanish word “jacaranda,” but it is a completely different plant from jacaranda, which belongs to the Bignoniaceae family of the order Lamiales. It became heavily produced for electric and acoustic guitars, and in the 1960s, when Hakaranda was widely used, it was designated under the Washington Convention as an endangered species. Harvesting and international trade became regulated.

Even today it is prized as a top-grade wood, and vintage guitars made from Hakaranda and guitars made from the wood that was stocked at the time are traded at high prices. Its sound has a unique character: sparkling highs, a low end with thickness and attack, a stringy resonance without muddiness, and a sense of volume.

Because Brazilian rosewood can no longer be used, many substitute materials for rosewood-type woods have emerged.

Features of Brazilian Rosewood (Hakaranda)

Martin D-28 and Hakaranda

Martin D-28

If you think of Martin’s representative model, it’s this one first. It’s the D-28.
The highly acclaimed D-28 as the world standard uses rosewood for the side-back material.

This model, first produced in 1931 as the Martin dreadnought, used Hawaiian koa for the rosewood material from the start of production until 1969.

The D-28 of the 1950s and 60s, which can be called a representative vintage guitar in general, has a sound with a distinctive strength and excellent projection, and the Hawaiian koa adds a sparkling brightness to produce an outstanding sound.

1967 Martin D-28

A casually used Hakaranda material in a pair-back arrangement. A beautiful individual with a crisp, flowing grain pattern.

There are many individual differences in the grain of Hakaranda itself, but Martins from this era especially often show a variety of grain patterns, including board-sawn grain and curly grain Hakaranda.

The best match is the feel of the Hakaranda’s signature across-the-board displacement and the power of the D-28.

Martin D-35 and Hakaranda

Martin D-35

The D-35 was born in 1965 as a 3-piece back model of the D-28. As a sort of birth secret, it was the D-35 that Martin introduced by combining and selling fewer materials, influenced by the fact that herringbone had disappeared from the market at the time.

At first glance, it seems like a 3-piece back structure to increase material sustain, but because of its distinctive visual appeal and neck binding Recruit, it exudes a unique presence and a sense of grandeur.

Also, compared to the D-28, the thinner top bracing produces a sound that is more responsive and delicate, giving the D-35 its excellent response. Since production began in 1965, and considering that herringbone was used up until 1965, the herringbone Recruit D-35 is said to be valuable.

1969 Martin D-35

A wood with an easy-to-understand grain, featuring dark reddish-brown color and deep straight grain with crisp, clear layers.

Its suitability as a three-piece back gives it life, and you can see the various expressions of Honduras.
The deep, crisp sound of Honduras and the well-balanced resonance of the three-piece back come together to create an attractive sound.

What is Indian Rosewood? Features and Regulations

Features of Indian Rosewood

Brazilian rosewood became a rare material, and this Indian rosewood came to be widely used as its substitute.

Because it grows relatively quickly and can be harvested in large quantities, the wood commonly labeled simply as “rosewood” for guitar materials is now mostly this material. Most of what is generally available is native to western India or is planted extensively in Southeast Asia, and it is also called East Indian rosewood.

Compared with Honduras rosewood, it has wider pores and less reddish coloration. Many pieces have a flat grain, and you do not see the exotic-looking grain often found in Honduras rosewood.
As for tonal characteristics, it is softer than Honduras rosewood and has an all-mighty sound with a broad range.

Compared with other rosewood species, it tends to have a slightly tighter, more settled feel. The individual differences are also wide, and the sound produced across the full range of the selected wood is a must-hear—subtle yet powerful. It had been supplied stably, but due to illegal harvesting and import/export activities involving other species being passed off as Indian rosewood, regulation under the Washington Convention for all rosewood species (genus Dalbergia / Tulipaceae) was established in 2017. Indian rosewood also became subject to regulation.
Unlike the complete regulation and prohibition of Honduras rosewood, it is not banned, but future developments are a cause for concern.

Martin 000-28

The OM-28 was produced in 1929 as Martin’s first 14-fret joint guitar.
The 000-28 appeared in 1933, after production of the original OM was discontinued. This model, which inherited the same scale as the OM size body, is excellent in response, and because of its short scale, delicate and beautiful tone, and small body, it is easy to fingerstyle, making it a model with strong support from fingerpickers.

Although the Hakaranda that had been used since the early days was discontinued, and Indian rosewood began to be used from 1970 onward, it continues to be supported by many players along with the Dreadnought.

Martin 000-28

The Indian rosewood that sounds like a violin.

Even among Indian rosewood used in current Martin guitars, there are many individual differences in the neck grain, and various conditions can be seen.
This Indian rosewood, which is supple, supple, and well balanced, is a combination that also suits the delicate sound of the 000-28 well.

Martin D-45

The D-45 was first made in 1933 at the request of country singer Gene Autry, and 91 were manufactured by 1942.

Only around 70 examples are believed to still exist, making it an extremely rare gem among rare gems. Each instrument was checked even more strictly than any other Martin model for materials, quality control, and more, and because of this only a small number could be made by skilled craftsmen on the production line.

The D-45, known for being favored by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young and Eric Clapton, was later revived in 1968 in response to many requests inspired by Mike Longworth and others who had strong feelings for the D-45, and it continues to be a Martin flagship model that influences many makers and luthiers today.

1979 Martin D-45

The D-45 made in 1979 is characterized by its straight, clear-grained wood.

Selected along with the spruce for the number 45, the Indian rosewood releases overwhelming power and overtones. From each maker’s entry-level model produced in large quantities to the grade corresponding to the style of Martin’s highest peak, Indian rosewood offers a wide range of options.

Martin D-41

The D-41, which became the intermediate grade between the D-35 and D-45, was released in 1969. The early Hakaranda-bodied D-41 existed in only 31 units, an extremely small number compared to the 229 Hakaranda-bodied reissues of the D-45 from 1968 to 1969.

The inlay work by Mother of Pearl, similar to the D-45, is an attractive feature of the model.

1975 Martin D-41

This is a 1975 D-41 made by Indian RosewoodRecruit. The evenly flowing grain gives it a high-grade feel that is comparable to a D-28.

The flowing stone has a powerful feel, almost like a No. 40 model, and a well-balanced sound. Since 1970s Indian rosewood bodies have also become less common, their scarcity is increasing.

List of Indian Rosewood Guitars in Stock

Afterword

How was it? This time, from Brazilian rosewood, the ancestor of the highest-grade rosewood, to Indian rosewood, which after regulation has been the most widely used and popular since the 1970s up to the present day, we introduced Martin guitars to match!
With restrictions under the Washington Convention making prohibitions and permit applications a complicated issue, the future of rosewood is drawing attention. The musical instrument industry may be entering a major turning point.
Next time, I’d like to introduce other rare rosewoods that were selected to fill the missing holes in the Hakaranda lineup! Stay tuned!

The person who wrote this article: Advance Guitars store manager Inoue (Inoue) - vintage guitar researcher

An expert who has been in contact with instruments since early childhood and has handled the appraisal and sales of more than several thousand vintage guitars. He also has close ties with major overseas collectors and dealers. With the belief that “the history of a guitar can change with a single color or stamp,” he is committed to affectionate, detailed explanations.

Qualifications and experience held: 8 years as a musical instrument appraiser, and writing/supervising cooperation for guitar magazines and others

If this article was helpful, please support us!